Japan Puts Two New Offshore Wind Areas Out to Tender

January 22, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

The Japanese government has opened a tender for two new offshore wind areas, for which the country will designate developers by the end of this year.

On 19 January, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism launched the tender for an offshore wind site in the Sea of Japan, off the coast of Aomori Prefecture, and a site off the coast of the town of Yuza in Yamagata Prefecture.

The tender is open until 19 July and the developers of the two project sites will be selected by December this year.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the two sites were designated for offshore wind development in October 2023, with public consultation held over the two following months.

The launch of the tender for the two new areas comes shortly after the Japanese government announced the winners of its previous auction in December 2023.

As reported last month, three consortia, one led by JERA, one by Sumitomo Corporation, and one by German RWE, have been selected to develop projects off Akita, Nagasaki and Niigata Prefectures. Japan has also put another, fourth site out to tender in that round, but the winner of this site is expected to be announced in March.